Lobster tails are on sale for Valentine's Day. Great! But how do I cook them?

Addie Broyles, Austin American-Statesman

Wednesday

Feb 13, 2019 at 1:14 PM

Nothing says love like lobster.

We all know the story of how the crawfish of the sea went from prison food to one of the foods most closely identified with luxury. The only thing fancier than steak and lobster is caviar and you can’t exactly eat an entire serving of caviar for dinner. (Or maybe you can and would also like to pay for my kids’ college education.)

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If you are planning on cooking at home for Valentine’s Day tomorrow night (or Galentine’s Day tonight), you still have time to stop by the grocery store and buy a lobster tail (and/or a steak) to grill for yourself or someone you love. Cast iron-seared steaks (or steak tips) are one of my favorite treats, no matter if it’s a holiday, but I’m not as well versed at cooking lobster. (The only thing you need to know about cooking steak is to pull the meat out of the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour before you plan to cook it and salt and pepper generously. Cook over a super high heat on both sides for slightly less time than you think. The meat will continue to cook, but let it sit on a cutting board for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. You can tent it with aluminum foil to keep the heat.)

I don’t love lobster enough to try cooking the whole thing -- and many retailers, including Whole Foods, have stopped carrying live, whole lobsters -- but cooking a lobster tail is more more reasonable in terms of effort and price anyway. Many grocers have lobster tails on sale this week, and I picked up two small tails for $5 each at H-E-B today.

The technique is simple: Cut open the tail with kitchen shears, release the meat from the bottom of the shell, place a slice of lemon underneath it and a pat of butter on top and broil for 10 minutes. I’ve seen some cooks sprinkle paprika on top, which adds both flavor and color, but I think I’ll stick with salt.

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